I’ll admit to never being hyper concerned with the toxicity levels in my beauty and skincare products. When the kids were tiny I chose the baby safe brands — like California Baby and Weleda. But for myself, I was always comfortable sticking with my standbys — no matter what ingredients were included. A couple weeks back I posted on getting grossed out by butane in my newly purchased foundation.This discovery pushed me to find a better alternative which led me to the path of #safecosmetics and #safeskincare. The ugly facts came glaring hard…I wouldn’t be able to ignore them. I now feel compelled to keep moving towards a green complexion.
What this means:
1. Every few weeks I’ll swap out a product that ranks high in the toxicity department then post about it here.
2. It’ll be an organic process — not a cold turkey endeavor. As I slowly move towards my greener complexion, I’m fairly certain that my tolerance for gross products will drop. Similar to how switching off junky, unhealthy foods can have a huge impact on the body’s cravings for that stuff.
3. For now, I’m focusing on beauty / skincare, and will keep my eyes and ears open for better choices.
Let’s see how this goes!
My first product to replace was facial cleanser.
A make up artist friend once told told me this is a good place to save money since the product gets washed off right away. With that advice in mind, I’ve been buying my facial cleansers from CVS.
For awhile, I’ve been using Cera Ve Hydrating Cleanser — it’s been working well on my skin. But unfortunately, it’s got a major yuk ingredient — propylparaben which gets a skyhigh 10 for toxicity.
So sticking with the quick wash off / cheap product theory, it was back to the drugstore.
After scanning the shelves, I saw it may be tough to find something better — practically everything was loaded with questionable ingredients.
Except for Botanics Gentle Cleansing Ultra Calm Cream which advertised active plant extracts and calming marshmallow. A quick glance at the ingredients sent no red flags. And since I was with GL, who loves marshmallows, I decided to give it a try.
In the store, I didn’t notice how strong the smell was. At home, when I washed my face, it was impossible to not notice– this cleanser was loaded with fragrance, a big no-no in the #safecosmetics world. Plus, it made me kind of nauseous.
It was time to hit Whole Foods.
As I climbed the stairs up to the 2nd level, I was welcomed by a huge sign:
Dr. Hauschka ON SALE!
This was good.
Very, very good.
Purchasing Dr. Hauschka doesn’t really abide by the quick wash off / cheap product theory — their stuff is pricey. But since this sale happens just once a year, and I happened to stumble upon it — I had to buy. It must’ve been a sign from the #safecosmetic gods.
Another cleanser, by Acure, caught my eye. It costs half the price and smelled nice — not too fragrancy, but minty…in a refreshing way. Next time, I could try this if I don’t feel like shelling out for a full priced Dr. Hauschka.
Choosing facial products is very personal– what I love may be horrible for you and vice versa. The key is to keep a checklist of what you need your product to do (be gentle, moisturizing, non toxic, etc…) and keep looking until you find the one.
For now, I feel good about my purchase – it meets my standards and keeps me on the move towards a greener complexion.
Which facial cleanser do you use + love?
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Nice recommendation! Thanks, Ann.
My partner has BEAUTIFUL skin… and he never actually washes his face with anything but water. He doesn’t wear makeup, though.
Does he have good genes and a clean diet? I bet those help a lot too.